Community Spirit

As Australia’s national ballet company and a cultural leader with a far-reaching footprint, we are deeply devoted to bringing the joy of dance to communities across the country, beyond our capital cities. 

This ambition has been a commitment of The Australian Ballet's for more than 40 years and is delivered by two independent but complementary and increasingly intertwining bodies of work: The Australian Ballet On Tour and our suite of Education and Outreach initiatives. 

Generously funded by members of our philanthropic community, both programs have coexisted to offer important artistic experiences across the country. However, increased efforts are being made to align them more closely to deepen connections within the communities we work with. 

Central to this evolution are Education and Outreach Producers, Jasmin Dwyer and Kennedy Patch and Touring Producers, Hannah Denison and Becky Ruffell – four colleagues and keen collaborators with a shared passion for social impact and a brilliant team around them. 

Driven by a desire for increased, purposeful integration, Jasmin explains, “Dance has the power to bring people together but, when we visit these locations, we know that not everyone is going to come into the theatre. We’ve been actively looking at ways to better engage the community as a whole. We want to meet the residents where they’re at and, in doing so, try to find a way to make dance relevant to them.”

Ultimately, a range of factors dictate the various touring paths both programs take around the country. Yet, in the locations where The Australian Ballet On Tour and Education and Outreach activities coincide, every effort is taken to create a fully accessible, inclusive and immersive experience for residents, all in full consultation with community leaders.

In 2024, The Australian Ballet On Tour crossed paths with the Education and Outreach team in Bendigo, Tanunda, Whyalla, Goulburn, Newcastle and Wagga Wagga. In addition to delivering performances of the highest quality as part of the Tour, our Education and Outreach team members delivered hundreds of workshops, creative residencies and performances to schools, theatres and communities, reaching 6,300 people in the six overlapping areas. 

Reiterating the collective effort at the heart of the company’s community engagement, Jasmin emphasises, “Our teaching artists, who specialise in facilitating these community-engaged dance programs are the unsung heroes here. They bring staggering amounts of enthusiasm, expertise and energy to all they do. We couldn’t realise a fraction of our aspirations without them.” 

A highlight in recent years has been an initiative where a local dance group is invited to open a performance of The Australian Ballet On Tour with their own ‘curtain raiser’ performance. In 2024, the Barradambang Dancers opened a performance in Wagga Wagga with their work Barradambang Wattle, choreographed by Ella Havelka, Wiradjuri artist and former dancer with The Australian Ballet, in collaboration with local Wiradjuri Elders and First Nations composer Tristan Field. 

“Through collaborations like the curtain raiser, we’ve been able to use our platform to showcase young local talent in a professional arena. Not only has this built huge camaraderie between our touring company and the curtain raiser dancers, but it’s also created an authentic, shared space and elevated the profile of local talent and dance groups in their immediate community,” explains Jasmin. 

A hard-working partnership has been paramount in driving the success of the two programs’ integration. “We’re always mindful of wanting to offer relevant, attainable and respectful experiences to the communities we’re spending time with who have their own unique arts cultures. So, we make a concerted effort to consult with the communities in advance and ask if our programs will be useful and valuable to them.” 

Of course, the enthusiasm of the dancers from The Australian Ballet and The Australian Ballet School goes a long way towards creating a wholeheartedly positive and reciprocal environment at each stop on the tour, and this comes in droves. “Sharing dance can be so powerful,” says Jasmin. “The dancers can see how valuable this community engagement is, and in many cases, they can see themselves in some of these kids.” 

Reflecting on her first professional dancing experience, Zoe Horn, The Australian Ballet School House Captain and 2024 Touring Company Dancer, shares, “Wagga Wagga was a real highlight for me. We got to share in the joy of the young Barradambang Dancers who were onstage dancing the curtain raiser and then participate in a traditional smoking ceremony with them too. It was such a beautiful moment of connection with the local community, with the touring company and with the Education and Outreach team. All working together to close off the amazing tour as one.” 

It’s been three years since Hannah, Jasmin, Kennedy and Becky started working together in this format, and their efforts are taking the program from strength to strength. “When we stepped into our roles, we wanted to bring a cohesive and collaborative way of working to build stronger relationships within the communities we engage with,” shares Hannah. 

“We’re now seeing the result of increased consistency and continuity on the impact of our work, and it’s invaluable. The results speak for themselves when you experience them firsthand. When the lights go down and the curtain goes up, and you’ve got a group of local people doing what they love with a full audience supporting them all the way, it really hits home. We’re all there for the same reason: to share the joy of dance, and that’s incredibly special.” 

The visionary philanthropic support from contributors to The Regional Touring Fund, The Ballet Society Victoria, the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation, Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation, Graf Family Foundation, James N Kirby Foundation, Cory Charitable Foundation, Dr Lee McCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation, Colonial Foundation, DECJUBA Foundation and many generous individual donors across Australia allow these programs to be delivered at no cost every year.